Daily Times

The Prime Minister summoned his chief ministers to discuss the inflated electric bills, which have turned into a serious issue for the public. The people have been protesting against the inflated bills, including burning them publically to show their extreme anger against what they consider government callousness. The power subscribers hold the government solely responsible for fleecing them through high electric billing when the bureaucrats, generals and politicians enjoy free electricity. Sadly, the high-salaried classes that can afford to pay the bills are exempted from paying while the poor living from hand to mouth are slapped with heavy billing. It only generates class hatred.

The crux of the matter is that past governments ruled on a day-to-day basis. Clinging to the seat of power was their primary aim. With this kind of approach to rule the country, long-term development projects were rarely planned. The country has always been short on power supply, which is the basic necessity of life. We don’t even follow the countries that succeeded in overcoming the power energy problem such as China.

As it is, a large project always has its pros and cons. What’s important is whether the positive points outweigh the negative points of the project. And that the project besides benefitting a large majority of the people promotes industrial growth – a mainstay of the country. China’s decision to build the Three Gorges Dam, a hydroelectric project, is a glaring example of setting priorities for the greater national interests. Although the project displaced 1.41 million people, on the other hand, it produced 22500 megawatts of electricity. The displaced people were provided alternative accommodation by the Chinese government.

Talk of Gen Ziaul Haq, who ruled for ten years and left behind no legacy other than fomenting religious dissension among the people.

My good friend Zahid Salam asserts that the Chinese think years ahead of time about what’s best in their national interest while we, as a nation, think only when the damage is done and the blame game follows. It’s manifested by the failure to build the Kalabagh Dam and, resultantly, people burning their steep electricity bills for lacking the capacity to pay them. Zahid loves water gushing down the spillway. Some years ago, he requested Justice Saqib Nisar of Bhasha Dam fame to use his cabin on a long weekend. The cabin was supposedly built at the Dam site on Justice Nisar’s orders to personally supervise the dam’s construction. Believably, Nisar now lives in the greener pastures of the west. What about the billions of rupees he collected in the name of the Bhasha Dam? Miti pao (forget it), as good Ch Shujaat would likely say.

China planned the Three Gorges Dam over the Yangtze River much later than we had thought of building the Kalabagh Dam. The feasibility study of the Kalabagh Dam alone had cost the poor nation Rs1.12 billion. Even living accommodation for the staff was partially completed but the project never materialised due to the wrangling of the politicians mainly from Sindh and KPK.

Gen Musharraf, who was fond of pulling punches, had a golden opportunity to build the Kalabagh Dam and leave a name in history. Had he done so, he wouldn’t have had to breathe his last in a foreign land and return home in a casket with a limited number to mourn his death. Had Kalabagh Dam stood to his credit, he could have been proud of it and won public support later for his party.

Talk of Gen Ziaul Haq, who ruled for ten years and left behind no legacy other than fomenting religious dissension among the people. A military ruler is in an ideal position to undertake the construction of large projects like the Kalabagh Dam, unlike politicians who are mindful of public sensitivities to win votes. Had Gen Ayub Khan not built the Mangla and Tarbela Dams, the state of electricity in the country would have been worse than what we face today.

Imagine how China suffered by constructing the Three Gorges Dam. The Dam’s upstream backflow of water is 390 miles. The project completely submerged a river valley that had 1400 rural towns, 900 manufacturing sites and about 1200 sites of historic importance, not to mention the places of worship and graveyards as old as 30000-50000 years. The Chinese people gave this sacrifice to light their homes and industrialise their country.

Compared to the upstream backflow of Three Gorges Dam, Kalabagh Dam’s backflow is only 90 miles and it will not show at the Attock Bridge since the dam site is located about 120 miles downstream from it. Other than for the self-seeking motives of some politicians, there is no reason for not building the Kalabagh Dam. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine how a nuclear state is unable to generate enough electricity for its public consumption. It only proves the state is badly mismanaged.

The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and can be reached at pinecity @gmail.com